And we’re off!

It begins!

Where ARE WE?

After absolutely CRUSHING yesterday’s rest day, today brought the true beginning of Augusta training. I had a 50 minute trainer ride that had to include 5 x 20 seconds in a big gear at a high cadence. My plan for the ride was to execute those intervals and also keep my cadence above 90 and stay in the big ring if possible. Mission totally accomplished!

I began the ride with the pilot of Lost. The first three seasons are amazing and engrossing (don’t get me started on the infuriating downward spiral of that show or I will LOSE IT) so I thought they would be a nice motivator during my trainer rides. The ride began in my basement but as sweat poured down my everywhere, the patio beckoned. Set my trainer up in the shade and enjoyed watching the 580 commute. None of us went anywhere!

Oh, your car is not on a trainer? Sorry…

When I moved outside, I switched to music and found myself cueing Dailey Method thigh work. That sure helped the time pass! I imagine I’m going to spend a lot of my Augusta training thinking through my new teaching. Great way to get out of the “are we there yet?” mindset. Because, no, we’re not there yet.

Due to a light work day and wanting to take Dailey tomorrow, I moved my swim to today. I figure that it doesn’t really matter if I swim on a running day or a cycling day. I intend to follow my schedule as planned, the only exception being moving swims and TDM sessions around. I also won’t ever put off a training session. I can only move them earlier, not push them off. Rules is rules.

So, it’s like a million degrees this week and I’ve been looking forward to trying some of the outdoor pools in my area. My house is right between the pool at Mills College and Lions Pool in Dimond Park. Just being specific in case you live in the East Bay and are looking for a pool near my house!

I really enjoyed the Dimond pool. There are two large lanes (slow and medium) and one narrower lane for faster swimmers. Word on the deck is that if you even swim freestyle in the slow lane, some regular aqua joggers will get in your face and tell you to move up to the medium lane. I actually heard it happen! Thankfully they didn’t give me shit when I moved into the slow lane to do my kicking set. Probably because I was going very, very, very slowly. Or they could tell that I would splash them if they sassed me.

I cannot TELL you how heavenly this swim was. Yes, the lane was busy and there were some people who didn’t totally get the circle swimming but generally folks were friendly. I introduced myself and asked questions about how people were planning to swim and all was well. I felt amazing. Strong, steady, and so happy. None of the nausea or yuckiness I had experienced at my gym pool. Totally hooked. And totally tan. I seriously have a full swimsuit tan already. How the hell am I supposed to get sunscreen on my mid-back, btw?

My happy place.

I didn’t quite finish my workout because the lap swim ended when I still had a few hundred more meters to do. Who knew kicking was so hard and slow?! The YouTube video I watched did not mention that. I did 4 of the 8 x 25 prescribed and did not feel bad about moving on to my main set. Since it was literally my first time with a kickboard, I’ll make up those extra yards later this week.

All in all, it was a phenomenal first day. I ate enough to feel happy and energetic all day but didn’t go off the rails in “celebration.” As in, I didn’t consume any of these things. Just this wonderful thing:

Some kicking basics are, minimal splashing, and think of the movement originating in your hips/thighs; knee motion is loose, only engaging to keep the movement fluid and to follow through with the hip/thigh motion. Toes loosely pointed, but no need to crunch. Think butt and core. When you walk, the motion is in your upper legs, but you have to bend your knees to keep it fluid. Kicking is like that, too. Also, as I tell my new 7-year old swim student (Teaching swimming as an experiment and favor to a parent-friend; OMG I AM SO IN LOVE), keep your arms straight ahead of you! Its so cute the way he tries to climb onto the board, wanting to keep his head well above water.

Even if you are circle swimming, try to switch which hand you use to grab the wall and turn. Even this motion, which is secondary to swimming, and wont be used in open water, should be practiced in balance with both sides of your body. Practice kicking with your head in the water, as well, breathing at regular intervals. If you aren’t alternating sides when you breathe in crawl, which is something you should be doing, you can practice breathing on your less familiar side with the kickboard. –Celeste